Left
ひぐらしに秋の野山をわけくれば心にもあらぬ錦をぞきる
| higurashi ni aki no noyama o wakekureba kokoro ni mo aranu nishiki o zo kiru | When at sundown Through the autumn mountain meadows I come forging, Lying not within my heart, Brocade I am, indeed, cutting! |
84
Right
秋といへばあま雲までにもえにしを空さへしるくなどか見ゆらん
| aki to ieba amagumo made ni moenishi o sora sae shiruku nado ka miyuran | ‘Autumn’ is when Even as far as heaven’s clouds Have burned, but Why does the sky Seem so clear? |
85
Composed when he presented a hundred poem sequence, during the reign of former Emperor Horikawa.
山ざとはさびしかりけりこがらしのふく夕ぐれのひぐらしのこゑ
| yamazato Fa sabisikarikeri kogarasi no Fuku yuFugure no higurasi no kowe | A mountain retreat is Lonely, indeed; The biting wind Blows of an evening with The sundown cicadas’ cries. |
Fujiwara no Nakazane
藤原仲実
あきのよにたれをまつとかひぐらしのゆふぐれごとになきまさるらん
| aki no yo ni tare o matsu to ka higurashi no yūgure goto ni nakimasaruran | On an autumn night Who is it that you await, I wonder? The sundown cicadas With each evening Cry ever louder… |
41
あき風のふきくるよひはきりぎりす草のねごとにこゑみだれけり[1]
| akikaze no fukikuru yoi wa kirigirisu kusa no ne goto ni koe midarekeri | The autumn wind Comes gusting late at night, when The crickets From every single blade of grass Let out confused cries. |
42
ひぐらしのなくあき山をこえくればことぞともなくものぞかなしき[1]
| higurashi no naku aki yama o koekureba koto zo tomonaku mono zo kanashiki | The sundown cicadas Sing in the autumn mountains Passing by, Everything is somehow All the more sad… |
17
あきののとなりぞしにける草むらの見るひごとにもまさるつゆかな
| aki no no to nari zo shinikeru kusamura no miru hi goto ni mo masaru tsuyu kana | The autumn fields Have all turned to Tangled clumps of grass— Every day I sight them, How finer is the dewfall! |
18
[1] This poem was included in two later anthologies: Fubokuwakashu (6015) and Shūfū wakashū 秋風和歌集 (307).
When he had gone to Saga to dig up plants for his garden.
日暮しに見れ共あかぬ女郎花のべにや今宵旅ねしなまし
| higurasi ni miredomo akanu wominaFesi nobe ni ya koyoFi tabinesinamasi |
At the sunset I see, yet cannot get my fill Of maidenflowers, so In the fields tonight Should I make a traveller’s bed? |
Fujiwara no Nagayoshi
藤原長能
Composed at the time a hundred poem sequence was presented, during the reign of former Emperor Horikawa.
山里は淋しかりけり木枯らしの吹く夕暮の日暮の声
| yamazato Fa sabisikarikeri kogarasi no Fuku yuFugure no Figurasi no kowe |
A mountain dwelling Seems lonely: When the chill winter wind Blows on an evening with The sunset cicadas’ song… |
Fujiwara no Nakazane
藤原仲実
Left (Tie).
小雨降る葛飾早稲を刈るまゝに民の袖さへうるほひにけり
| kosame furu katsushika wase o karu mama ni tami no sode sae uruoinikeri |
Showers fall in Katsushika; early ripened rice Reaping, Even the peasants’ sleeves Are damp. |
371
Right (Tie).
小萩咲く片山陰に日晩の鳴すさびたる村雨のそら
| kohagi saku katayamakage ni higurashi no nakisu sabitaru murasame no sora |
Bush clover blooming In the mountain’s shade; The sundown cicadas Sing intermittently To the showery skies. |
372
Neither team has any criticisms to make.
Shunzei say, ‘The style and construction of both poems is superb, though the Left’s is particularly archaic in tone, and thus using mama ni in the central section is somewhat weak, is it not? Surely, “Whilst reaping” (karu nae ni) would have been a better fit! The Right’s simple conclusion of “showery skies” (murasame no sora) is particularly effective. However, the Left, too, with “even the peasants’ sleeves” (tami no sode sae) shows a fine spirit. The two poems are a match and tie.’